Acer has announced three new G-Sync gaming monitors, all of which come equipped with eye-tracking technology from Tobii. The displays announced range from 24.5" to 27" in size, with refresh rates ranging up to 240 Hz.

Acer Predator Z271T

"Each new monitor features NVIDIA G-SYNC and high refresh rates for smooth gaming experiences without lag. The new Predator gaming monitors are available in different sizes and configurations to meet the needs of a wide range of users looking to take their gaming experiences forward."

The Z271T is the sole curved display option, offering an 1800 radius curve and standard 1920x1080 resolution at 144 Hz. The flat-paneled versions provide a choice between very high refresh rates (240 Hz with the 1920x1080 XB251HQT) and higher resolution (2560x1440 at 165 Hz from the XB271HUT).

Monoprice announced a pair on monitors today at CES, beginning with their new ultra-wide 21:9 display.

The monitor features a 3440 x 1440 IPS panel with a 75 Hz refresh rate, but the big story with this monitor is going to be cost, as Monoprice will be selling this for $499 – the lowest we’ve seen for a 3440 x 1440 by far. (LG is currently the only supplier of these curved 34-inch 3440x1440 IPS panels, so this should be the same panel found in similar monitors on the market.)

Monoprice also announced a new 27-inch 4K display at CES, and this USB-C monitor uses an LG IPS panel with 99% Adobe RGB color support. Also $499, the monitor offers 100 watt USB-C power delivery for device charging for laptops and other devices, as well as USB 3.0 connectivity. (The display was not available to photograph.)

It was a point of emphasis that Monoprice is only using A+ panels for these new monitors (which means they are the same grade as the big name brands), and the company really seems to be working to establish itself in the display space. Both of these monitors will be available in Q1 2016.

For anyone looking for a 4K display for photo or video editing (or any other color critical work) the new Dell UltraSharp UP3216Q looks like a great - and likely very pricey - option. Just how much are we talking? The existing 31.5-inch 4K UP3214Q carries a $1999 MSRP (though it sells for $1879 on Dell's site). For this kind of money there are probably those who will never consider a 16:9 option (or ever give up their 16:10 30-inch displays), but the specifications of this new UP3216Q are impressive:

With the 60 Hz 4K (UHD) IPS panel offering full sRGB and 99.5% Adobe RGB, and a factory calibration that promises to be factory color calibrated with a deltaE of less than 2, the UP3214Q sounds pretty much ready to go out of the box. However for those inclined to strive for a more perfect calibration Dell is offering an X-Rite i1Display Pro colorimeter as an optional accessory, providing their own Dell UltraSharp Color Calibration Solution software.

A couple of points of interest with this monitor, while it offers DisplayPort and mini-DP inputs it also supports 4K 60 Hz via HDMI 2.0. Color support is also listed as 1.07 billion colors, but it's not specified whether this indicates a 10-bit panel or if they are implementing 10-bit color processing with an 8-bit panel - though if it's in the $2k price range it would probably safe to assume this is a 10-bit panel. Lastly, in keeping with the UltraSharp branding the monitor will also carry Dell's Premium Panel Guarantee and 3-Year Advanced Exchange Service warranty.

Introduction and First Impressions

The ASUS PB258Q is a "frameless" monitor with a full 2560x1440 resolution from a fairly compact 25-inch size, and at first glance it might appear to be a bare LCD panel affixed to a stand. This attractive design also features 100% sRGB coverage and full height/tilt/swivel and rotation adjustment. The price? Less than $400. We'll put it to the test to see just what kind of value to expect here.

A beautiful looking monitor even with nothing on the display

The ASUS PB258Q came out of nowhere one day when I was looking to replace a smaller 1080p display on my desk. Given some pretty serious size constraints I was hesitant to move up to the 27 - 30 inch range for 2560x1440 monitors, but I didn't want to settle for 1920x1080 again. The ASUS PB258Q intrigued me immediately not only due to its interesting size/resolution of 25-inch/1440p, but also for the claimed 100% sRGB coverage and fully adjustable stand. And then I looked over at the price. $376.99 shipped from Amazon with Prime shipping? Done.

The pricing (and compact 25-inch size) made it a more compelling choice to me than the PB278Q, ASUS's "professional graphics monitor" which uses a PLS panel, though this larger display has recently dropped in price to the $400 range. When the PB258Q arrived a couple of days later I was first struck by how compact it is, and how nice the monitor looked without even being powered up.

"Asus' MG279Q is a 27" FreeSync monitor with a 144Hz, 2560x1440 IPS panel for an appealing price. Our own Gyromancer, Nathan Wasson, has spent some quality time with the MG279Q, and he's collected his impressions in video form."

Introduction, Specifications, and Packaging

AMD fans have been patiently waiting for a proper FreeSync display to be released. The first round of displays using the Adaptive Sync variable refresh rate technology arrived with an ineffective or otherwise disabled overdrive feature, resulting in less than optimal pixel response times and overall visual quality, especially when operating in variable refresh rate modes. Meanwhile G-Sync users had overdrive functionality properly functioning , as well as a recently introduced 1440P IPS panel from Acer. The FreeSync camp was overdue for an IPS 1440P display superior to that first round of releases, hopefully with those overdrive issues corrected. Well it appears that ASUS, the makers of the ROG Swift, have just rectified that situation with a panel we can finally recommend to AMD users:

Before we get into the full review, here is a sampling of our recent display reviews from both sides of the camp:

The reason for there being no minimum rating on the G-Sync panels above is explained in our article 'Dissecting G-Sync and FreeSync - How the Technologies Differ', though the short version is that G-Sync can effectively remain in VRR down to <1 FPS regardless of the hardware minimum of the display panel itself.

Introduction and Specifications

Seiki has spent the past few years making quite the entrance into the display market. Starting with LCD TVs, they seemingly came out of nowhere back in April of 2013 with a 50” 4K display that was available at a very competitive price at that time. Since then, we’ve seen a few more display releases out of Seiki, and they were becoming popular among home theater enthusiasts on a budget and for gamers who wanted a bigger panel in front of them. Last June, Seiki announced a desktop line of 4K monitors. These would not just be repurposed televisions, but ground-up designs intended for desktop professionals and gamers alike. The most eagerly awaited part of this announcement was promised 60 Hz support at 4K resolutions.

Just under a year later, we are happy to bring you a review of the first iteration on this new Seiki Pro lineup:

ASUS is showing the 27-inch MG279Q monitor at this year’s CES, and this display features the vaunted in-plane switching (IPS) technology and a 2560 x 1440 (WQHD) resolution.

Even more impressive, this panel offers frame rates of 120Hz with a 5ms grey-to-grey (GTG) response time according to ASUS. Additionally, the display features a narrow bezel, the ASUS-exclusive navigation joystick for the on-screen display (OSD), and their dedicated “GamePlus” hotkey which “displays a customizable crosshair and timer overlap for enhanced combat”. The stand is also built with full tilt, swivel, pivot and height adjustment, cable management, and is VESA wall-mountable.

While officially only listing a generic "DisplayPort" input, we have learned this supports DP 1.2a Plus. What does this mean? At least on paper that would indicate that this monitor could offer AdaptiveSync / FreeSync support. We could also pretty safely assume that a WQHD monitor without G-SYNC will be priced considerably lower than an ROG Swift. It's all very interesting...

Today AMD announced that they will be shipping 7 new Freesync displays in 2015 with their partners, BenQ, LG Electronics, Nixeus, Samsung, and Viewsonic.

As we learn more about these individual FreeSync-enabled models we will provide updates, and AMD has stated that there will be models shipping this month.

The full PR announcement from AMD appears below:

AMD today announced the expansion of the FreeSync ecosystem as technology partners including BenQ, LG Electronics, Nixeus, Samsung, and Viewsonic showcased their upcoming commercially available FreeSync-enabled displays at the 2015 International CES. The unveiling of new FreeSync-enabled displays demonstrates the industry's commitment to open standards-based technology that enables improved gaming by synchronizing dynamic refresh rates of the displays to the frame rate of AMD Radeon™ R-Series graphics cards and current generation APUs. The result greatly reduces input latency and helps reduce or eliminate visual defects during gaming and video playback. The new displays range in size between 24" to 34", supporting refresh rates of 30 to 144 Hz, and resolutions of 1080p up to Ultra HD, offering a variety of options for every gamer's needs and at virtually every price point.

"The broad adoption of FreeSync technology from our partners shows how the industry strongly values the same open ecosystem and quality that AMD strives for," said Roy Taylor, corporate vice president, ISV/IHV Partner Group, AMD. "Gamers who use FreeSync technology with AMD Radeon™ R-Series graphics and AMD latest generation of APUs can rest assured that they're enjoying the best possible experience."

Monitors from BenQ, LG Electronics, Nixeus, and Samsung are on display at AMD's booth, San Polo rooms 3402 - 3404 at The Venetian at CES Tech West. Displays are expected to be available in market starting this month with additional models set to launch in early 2015.